Basement Ventilation

Providing adequate basement ventilation makes not only for a more comfortable environment, but promotes all around good health, as well. Here are some tips on getting the proper amount of basement ventilation to not only satisfy most local building codes, but to make your and your family’s time spent in that living space a healthy and enjoyable place to be.

If the grade level permits, make sure you install plenty of operable windows to produce basement ventilation. Even if they’re small, install as many as permissible along the upper walls. During times of the year when the weather permits, you’ll be able to get lots of basement ventilation simply by opening the windows, in addition to welcome sunlight.

Another good place to add basement ventilation is in the bathroom if you’ve planned for one in your specs. Installing a simple, inexpensive fan in the basement bathroom that’s vented to the exterior of the house provides a good deal of mechanical ventilation. Hook it up to the light switch to make it easily accessible to anyone using the bathroom.

Installing ceiling fans is another good way to provide basement ventilation. Put one every ten feet or so to provide not only coolness in summer’s humid, hot weather but to move warm air throughout the area during the winter by reversing the blades seasonally. You can buy ceiling fans in various blade lengths, and they come in so many styles, there’s sure to be one that’s suitable for whatever design motif you’ve chosen.

Good basement ventilation can make all the difference in comfort and will help make this room an inviting, livable area for the entire family. It takes a little planning, but not only will it get your basement up to code in most city building ordinances, it will also provide a healthier environment that leaving it a state of stagnant, musty air nobody enjoys being immersed in.

So make basement ventilation a priority. With windows, bathroom fans, and ceiling fans, you’ll provide a comfortable, healthy living area for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.